Padres, Giants battle for NL West lead

Giants left-hander Barry Zito has apparently rediscovered the secret to success. The San Diego native takes a 5-0 record and a 1.49 ERA into tonight's game against the Padres.
— John R. McCutchen / Union-Tribune

Giants left-hander Barry Zito has apparently rediscovered the secret to success. The San Diego native takes a 5-0 record and a 1.49 ERA into tonight's game against the Padres.
— John R. McCutchen / Union-Tribune

First place in the National League West will be on the line tonight in San Francisco as the Padres meet the Giants in the first of three games at AT&T Park.

The Padres have a half-game lead over San Francisco.

The Padres are coming off a rough loss Sunday in Houston, where a ninth-inning, two-base throwing error by shortstop Jerry Hairston Jr. and an 11th-inning boot bu Chase Headley prevented the Padres from completing a three-game sweep of the struggling Astros.

The Giants, meantime, were losing two of three to the Mets in New York on a pair of walk-off homers.

Both the Padres and Giants feature solid pitching and struggling offenses. The Giants are averaging 4.67 runs per game while the Padres are averaging 4.42 runs per game.

The Giants have a 2.97 staff ERA while the Padres have a 2.73 staff ERA.

Matched in tonight’s opener (7:15 p.m., TV: 4 San Diego) of the three-game series are two of the hottest left-handed starters in the National League.

San Diego native Barry Zito is 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA in six starts for the Giants. Padres starter Wade LeBlanc is 2-0 with a 1.16 ERA in four starts. Neither worked April 19-21 when the Padres swept a three-game series with the Giants at Petco Park in San Diego.